Wistful – Metempsychosis (Review)

Wistful is a one man post-black metal project from Portugal and this is his second album.

Metempsychosis contains 41 minutes of dark, blackened music. Mixing together post-metal and blackgaze into an ambient black metal core, this is wonderfully evocative and emotive post-black metal that’s filled to the brim with sorrow, despondency, and feelings of aching loss.

The music on this album does not feature fiery aggression, or blazing blast beats. Instead, it’s based on a blackened base that’s been allowed to wallow in introspection and self-reflection. The artist behind this album has focused his efforts on adequately conveying emotion and feelings via a filtered and enhanced version of black metal, and has discarded the more malignant, hateful aspects of the genre. In their place comes post-metal resplendence, shoegaze intimacy, and warm, emotive melodies.

It’s easy to lose yourself in this album’s rich textures, getting lost in the well-fostered atmospheres and sombre tones. A bright spark of colourful melody runs through most of the material here, but even this is tinged with sadness and loss, despite how energetic it can sometimes be.

Unusually for something of this nature, it’s an instrumental release. The lack of vocals doesn’t hold it back, however. The songs hold the listener’s attention firmly, but softly, guiding them into the world that the music creates, steering them deeper into the darkness in a welcoming and protective fashion. This may have a blackened heart, but it’s not music that wishes you harm or wants you to burn; this is an album that encourages you to feel and experience a wide range of negative emotions, feeling the suffering that’s exuded like warm pain, in the hope that you won’t have to go through it yourself. Yes, there’s hope here too.

This is a recommended listen for journeyers of their own internal spaces, who wish to examine what it is to be human, but without becoming maudlin or obsessed with the darkness.

Experience Metempsychosis alone and in the dark for best results. Let the music flood into you and carry you away.